Despite almost half (45 per cent) of UK tech professionals receiving a pay increase last year, and 1 in 7 receiving a promotion, UK tech teams are feeling the strain of budget constraints and rising workloads – as half (50 per cent) report that they’re considering leaving their present role in the next 12 months.
These findings are published today in the Harvey Nash Global Tech Talent & Salary Report, which is based on a survey of over 2,700 technology professionals globally. The report, which unearths interesting insights about employee attrition, motivation and top priorities when seeking and staying with employers, also found that in the face of tightening budgets:
- The workloads of more than half (54 per cent) of UK tech professionals increased over the past year.
- More than a quarter (27 per cent) report a reduction in the size of their team, with 91 per cent feeling that the lack of people resources has created a barrier to delivering their technology strategy.
- UK staff do, however, feel well supported – with 85 per cent of tech professionals saying their employer is supportive of their physical and mental wellbeing.
Push factors – why UK technologists are considering leaving:
Although around half (48 per cent) are considering leaving for more pay, and 41 per cent to further their career, almost a third (31 per cent) state that they’re leaving for a change of culture. Data insights from LinkedIn, which partnered with Harvey Nash for the publication of this report also support these findings, with technologists globally ranking ‘Organisational support to balance work and personal life’ and ‘Opportunities for career growth’ in their top five Employer Value Proposition.
Pull factors – the top three attractors to a new role:
Although good remuneration/pay ranked the number one attractor to a new role amongst technologists in the UK, there were significant variations between countries with those based in the US ranking a ‘work from anywhere policy’ as second and ‘healthcare benefits’ third. UK based technologists also ranked the ‘work from anywhere policy’ second, but a ‘strong culture and leadership’ third, once again emphasising the importance of company culture in attracting and retaining staff in the UK.
“Whether or not UK technologists follow through with their intentions to leave remains to be seen, but what is clear from our study is that expectations of their roles and the companies they work for are changing,” said Andy Heyes, Managing Director UK&I and Central Europe at Harvey Nash. “After pay, satisfaction in flexible work environments, work-life balance, and positive corporate culture feature high on their list of demands. Even with tech talent availability returning to pre-pandemic norms, UK businesses must adapt to these evolving needs to attract and retain top tech talent effectively.
“Going forward retaining talent will be a delicate balance between getting the pay right and keeping work interesting and rewarding.”
Other key findings from the Harvey Nash Global Tech Talent & Salary Report include:
Building a Career in Technology – Routes into UK tech are changing
Although a university degree (46 per cent) is still a very popular path into a tech career in the UK, almost 5 in 10 technologists (48 per cent) transitioned into tech from an alternative career and this was particularly true for female technologists where almost two thirds (62 per cent) made this move, compared to 45 per cent of men. Significantly more women in the UK also kickstarted their career with industry certification (26 per cent) than men (18 per cent) – an important consideration for any UK business looking to attract more women to their tech teams.
Tech leaders – visionaries vs technical gurus
The Harvey Nash report also found that today’s technologists want more from their leaders than technical know-how. In the UK, the ‘ability to create a positive culture within IT/tech’ (59 per cent) and ‘influence at board level, and with the wider business’ (55 per cent) were identified as the most important factors, closely followed by ‘strong communication skills’ (54 per cent). All of these factors ranked more highly than having ‘a deep understanding of technology’ (39 per cent).
DEI – bias in AI development
Although the majority of technologists surveyed in the UK appear to be satisfied overall that their organisation is serious about the DE&I agenda, the report found that they would like to see more attention given to disability and neurodiversity, alongside the existing focus on gender and race.
With the UK’s tech sector still displaying significant diversity deficits, especially in gender, the Harvey Nash report warns that any cuts to DE&I budgets, as already witnessed amongst some of the tech giants last year, come at a time when companies are forging ahead on the biggest technology shift in a decade: artificial intelligence. If diverse people are not included in AI development, that may result in even greater power imbalances for both employees, end users and society at large.
“The UK’s tech industry never stands still and continues to be an exciting and rewarding career with endless opportunities for those looking to join it,” said Bev White, CEO of Nash Squared, owners of Harvey Nash. “With so many organisations looking at how to harness the power of AI, the findings laid out in this report will help the industry truly understand what those responsible for delivering on tech strategy are thinking, and what organisations need to consider to attract, and importantly retain this highly valued talent. The stakes are high – winning on talent could be the difference between business success and failure.”
The full report can be viewed here.
